The Birmingham Genealogical Society was organized March 15, 1959. It was organized exclusively for educational and research purposes, and to foster preservation of genealogical and historical material. We are located in Jefferson County, Alabama, USA.

Category Archives: General Genealogy

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The Birmingham Genealogical Society meets the fourth Saturday of each month (excl. Nov. & Dec.) at the Downtown Birmingham Public Library. Guests are always welcome!

Next Meeting: Saturday, April 26th at 2pm; Board Meeting at 1pm

Meeting Room: Arrington Auditorium, 4th Floor, Linn-Henley Building

Speaker: Yvonne Crumpler, retired department head of the Southern History Department

Program Topic: American Land Records

Please join us as Yvonne Crumpler, former President of the Birmingham Genealogical Society and the Alabama Genealogical Society and former head of the Southern History Department of the Birmingham Public Library, will give us a presentation on American Land Records. Yvonne will provide a power point program discussing the history of land records with information on public land states and state land states, with a brief explanation of the different type land surveys. Please join us and bring a friend!

The Birmingham Genealogical Society meets the fourth Saturday of each month (ex. Nov. & Dec.) at the Downtown Birmingham Public Library. Guests are always welcome!

Next meeting: Saturday, February 22nd at 2 p.m.;Board Meeting at 1:00 p.m.

Meeting Room: Arrington Auditorium, 4th Floor, Linn-Henley Building

Speaker: Jason Kirby, Former BGS President and current Archivist at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Library

Program Topic: From Kitchen Gardens to Flora of the Civil War

Please join us as Jason Kirby, former BGS President and current archivist at the Archives and Rare Book Room (Birmingham Botanical Gardens), presents “From Kitchen Gardens to Flora of the Civil War.” This presentation covers the different types of southern historic gardens with a focus on kitchen gardens during the Civil War time period. Jason will discuss flora from herbs to common cure-alls, to sweet herbs for hearth and health, to teas and vinegars. See what our ancestors did back in the old days!

Founded in 2008, the Archives and Rare Book Room is located in the library at Birmingham Botanical Gardens on the first floor of the Garden Center. The collection is open to the public Monday-Friday from 9-4 p.m. and on weekends by appointment-only. The Archives and Rare Book Room consist of materials generated by Friends of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the City of Birmingham, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, various plant groups, garden clubs and societies. The collection consists of scrapbooks, rare books, works progress administration (WPA) records, seed catalogs, garden manuals, manuscripts, Japanese tea ceremony items, plant fossils, Japanese woodblock prints, photographs, minute books, post cards, botanical prints, water color paintings, thesis papers, maps, personal herbarium (plant press book), and garden and botanical ephemera.

Google Earth for Genealogy – Google Earth is a 360 degree three dimensional way to view your ancestor’s world! In this class you will learn how to identify old photos, plot and virtually visit your ancestor’s homestead, and incorporate historic maps. Google Earth has the power to geographically document your ancestor’s lives, and lends itself very well to collaboration with other researchers. It’s one of the best online genealogical tools available, and best of all, Google Earth is FREE!

Lisa Louise Cooke is the owner of Genealogy Gems, a multi-media production company, and host of The Genealogy Gems Podcast at http://www.genealogygems.com. She’s the author of four books including Turn Your iPad into a Genealogy Powerhouse and The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox, producer of the video series Google Earth for Genealogy, an international speaker, and a regular contributor to Family Tree Magazine.

The Webinar is free, but you must register to get your personal sign-in code. Visit the GGS website to sign up (click on “register and view our schedule”). If you cannot attend the webinar at the 8PM time, many of the webinars are archived in the members-only section of the website.

Applications for the Jean Thomason Scholarship for IGHR are due by December 1, 2013, and will be reviewed by a Samford University Library committee. The winner will be announced in January.

Please include the following in your application:

* Name * Address * Email * Phone * The name of the Library where you are employed * The length of time you have worked in a library * The average number of hours (monthly) spent working with patrons * The name of the course you plan to attend (2014 Course offerings available at http://www4.samford.edu/schools/ighr/IGHR_courses.html) * In 500 words or less (1 printed page), a description of how participation in this course will benefit your patrons * A letter of support from a supervisor or colleague

The Birmingham Genealogical Society meets the fourth Saturday of each month (ex. Nov. & Dec.) at the Downtown Birmingham Public Library. Guests are always welcome!

Next meeting: Saturday, April 27th at 2 p.m.;Board Meeting at 1:00 p.m.

Meeting Room: Arrington Auditorium, 4th Floor, Linn-Henley Building

Speaker: Jim Anderson

Program Topic: Using the Alabama State Loose Records Database/Index on the Web

Please join us as Jim Anderson, current Webmaster and Treasurer, Alabama Genealogical Society(and BGS member) presents “Using the Alabama State Loose Records Database/Index on the Web.”

Jim is the database architect for the AGS Loose Records web index that gives searchable access to over fifty thousand names culled from archival records of Alabama probate courts – the subject of which is his presentation today. With a degree in Film and TV production his early career was producing programs for the military, and later, the Alabama ETV (now APTV) network. Following work in medical television at UAB, Jim moved into sales of AV and video equipment, and computers. After owning and managing an Apple dealership for fourteen years Jim retired to pursue his family history research while working in a theatre troupe bringing performances to seniors in retirement homes throughout Jefferson County.

Jim has previously made two extremely interesting presentations to BGS: First, the recounting of a murder in Shelby County and it’s connection with a prominent Birmingham business man, and second, an analysis of the question of who is buried on the Birmingham Country Club golf course.

Statement from Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp on Public Closure of the State Archives Effective November 1, 2012
The Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget has instructed the Office of the Secretary of State to further reduce its budget for AFY13 and FY14 by 3% ($732,626). As it has been for the past two years, these cuts do not eliminate excess in the agency, but require the agency to further reduce services to the citizens of Georgia. As an agency that returns over three times what is appropriated back to the general fund, budget cuts present very challenging decisions. We have tried to protect the services that the agency provides in support of putting people to work, starting small businesses, and providing public safety.

To meet the required cuts, it is with great remorse that I have to announce, effective November 1, 2012, the Georgia State Archives located in Morrow, GA will be closed to the public. The decision to reduce public access to the historical records of this state was not arrived at without great consternation. To my knowledge, Georgia will be the only state in the country that will not have a central location in which the public can visit to research and review the historical records of their government and state. The staff that currently works to catalog, restore, and provide reference to the state of Georgia’s permanent historical records will be reduced. The employees that will be let go through this process are assets to the state of Georgia and will be missed.

After November 1st, the public will only be allowed to access the building by appointment; however, the number of appointments could be limited based on the schedule of the remaining employees.
Since FY08, the Office of the Secretary of State has been required to absorb many budget reductions, often above the minimum, while being responsible for more work. I believe that transparency and open access to records are necessary for the public to educate themselves on the issues of our government. I will fight during this legislative session to have this cut restored so the people will have a place to meet, research, and review the historical records of Georgia.